Question & Answer

 
Sandra from Leeds, writes:

Question:
What are your feelings about singing hymns in churches where salvation requires the portrayal of Jesus as a sacrifice who shed his blood to cleanse us from our sins? Are these ideas still meaningful to anyone?

Answer: By Cassandra Farrin

Dear Sandra,

What a tough question. Perhaps you have similar experiences to mine of these dear old hymns: As a child I used to travel into the Idaho foothills with my parents, grandparents, and the many aged members of my grandparents’ Presbyterian congregation for an Easter sunrise service where we sang hymns like “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Amazing Grace” by heart.

On a hill far away, stood an old rugged Cross
The emblem of suff’ring and shame
And I love that old Cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain

So I’ll cherish the old rugged Cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged Cross
And exchange it some day for a crown

Many years later, while I was teaching English in Japan, I expressed an admittedly nostalgic wish to my friends there to watch the sunrise for Easter. They introduced me to the Japanese version of watching the sunrise—staying up all night, singing karaoke!—and then led me to an empty Tokyo canal as the sun rose between the skyscrapers. Huddled with my friends on the sloping concrete, I explained the double meaning of “sunrise” in the Christian tradition, taught them how to sing Amazing Grace, and we shared a beautiful moment together.

Amazing Grace!
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind but now I see

Are these hymns, by default, morally wrong simply because their content reflects an earlier era? For the individual person who feels a sense of connection and affinity for a hymn, no, I do not believe so. These hymns speak to all-too-human experiences such as failure and redemption, loss and renewal, loyalty and standing up for what is right. Indeed, many of these hymns have long histories that also make them special to us in a more personal way, such as my memories of my grandparents and friends.

Should we jettison a hymn simply because it reflects the beliefs of its era? I think that’s not fair, any more than we should stop reading books like Huckleberry Finn or Shakespeare’s plays (which are unbelievably raunchy, by the way). These classics all reflect outmoded ways of thinking, yet we still love them. Incidentally, some literary curmudgeons do argue we should no longer read these works, lest you think this is a problem confronted by religious types only!

However, it is the responsibility of each generation to create new works of art that reflect our realities and our values and, let’s be honest, our foibles. If our message is not more compelling than “Amazing Grace” and the “Old Rugged Cross,” how is anyone going to believe it is “good news” (gospel)? It’s hard work to convince people to accept new songs to love, but the effort is worth the challenge. I’ll close with a few lines from one of my favorites, a Unitarian Universalist hymn “Blue Boat Home” by Peter Mayer:

I was born upon the fathoms
Never harbor or port have I known
The wide universe is the ocean I travel
And the earth is my blue boat home

~ Cassandra Farrin

This Q&A was originally published on Progressing Spirit – As a member of this online community, you’ll receive insightful weekly essays, access to all of the essay archives (including all of Bishop John Shelby Spong), and answers to your questions in our free weekly Q&A. Click here to see free sample essays.

About the Author

Cassandra Farrin is a poet, writer and editor of nonfiction books on the history of religion. She recently launched the blog Ginger & Sage on religion, culture, and the land. Her writing can be found on the Westar Institute and Ploughshares websites, along with a poetic retelling of “On the Origin of the World” forthcoming in Gender Violence, Rape Culture, and Religion (Palgrave Macmillan). A US-UK Fulbright scholar, she has more than ten years’ experience with cross-cultural and interfaith engagement. Cassandra can be reached at welovetea@gmail.com.